Defective
by ForThem
Summary: AU. When Rex was found, he was in shambles. No memory, no control, no family. Can Six and Holiday push past their issues to help him, or will the nightmares and hallucinations get to Rex first?
1. Orders

Alright! my first fic, be gentle on the flames. This story is just my ideas on the events from the the nanite explosion to the first ep of the series. The first chapter is heavy on Six and Holiday, and Rex will be in ch.2. I update randomly, sorry. I also don't have a beta reader, so forgive the grammatical errors please. I also love constructive criticism; I'm hoping to improve my writing skills, so reviews are very welcome!

Disclaimer: I don't own Generator Rex, just my lame plot twists. :)

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The airship collided with the ground, throwing its passengers to one side. A rougher landing than usual, but then again, these were rougher times. Overcrowded and tense, the guards nervously waited for the airtight seal of the door to release. They were all dressed in black and white biohazard suits, making the sardine-can seating in the ship all the more uncomfortable. And yet, the ship was preferred to the growing situation outside. The men fretfully looked to one another as the moment stretched on; what waited beyond the door was, unquestionably, death. They were the first squadron into the area, which meant situation assessment and… body count. There would be plenty of that, judging by the explosion.

Among the crowd stood a young female, no older than 18. She looked from guard to guard, grimly noting their useless bio-suits. The nanites, now lingering outside in the air, ground, and soon the entire ship, had spread beyond control. They could worm their way through almost any material, given time. The only thing that could currently stop nanite penetration would be a sustained EMP field—which is precisely what the science team had embedded into their suits. No one else was equipped with such equipment, however. Their mission was not of recon, but of research.

Providence needed to know what kind of damage the nanites could do to certain lifeforms. Specifically, humans. So who better to send than the prodigy student of nanorobotics, Dr. Holiday? Accompanied by her sister Beverly, who, although quite young, was a prodigy in biology sciences, and their assigned bodyguard, Agent Six. Their mission was simple: to watch these good men die. And study it.

Death… The idea of watching others die turned Holiday's stomach. She looked to her protector, almost demanding a better reason for this butchery. He merely shrugged off her gaze, and donned a pair of sunglasses.

"You know it won't be sunny where we're going."

Six didn't even bother to turn his head. "…They're special issue; heat sensors built in."

Holiday pondered the necessity of heat sensors in a 2 square mile radius of nothing. "What exactly do you expect to be out _there_?"

"It's not what's 'out there', but what we're bringing along." Six gave a small nod towards the fidgeting guards.

The knot in Holidays stomach only grew tighter. She pushed Six further for questions. "What—"

"Hey sis, a-are you sure these suits are gonna protect us?" Beverly whispered, tugging on Holiday's arm.

Holiday smiled gently and activated their three suits. "Trust me, we'll be fine. Nothing will be able to touch you through that suit."

Beverly sighed gratefully and stood up with the rest of the men. It was time. The loud hiss of the door shattered the eerie silence, and the clank of boots on the landing gear echoed for miles around.

It was a world of dead existence.

The ground was a dark grey; the trees were black and leafless. The air was stale, and whatever small breeze floated by did nothing to change the overwhelming stillness of it all. Nearby, parts of buildings remained standing. Corporate offices, stores, even homes. The road underneath their feet was broken into protruding chunks, and lamp posts were bent at peculiar angles. The group cautiously moved forward, unnerved by this barren field of human existence. What was here would never be again.

The girls remained at the back of the party with Six, fervently checking the men's life signs and doing anything they could to avoid looking around. This was a place that neither wanted to remember. Six gazed on, seemingly unaffected by the destruction before him. Always business as usual. Holiday sometimes wondered how he could get out of bed in the morning, knowing the kind of situations he would have to endure over and over. If there ever was a heart in him, it must have crumbled long ago.

Holiday continued scanning the air for the nanite concentration and activity as they moved closer to the explosion.

"Beverly, are you noticing any changes around us? In the guards?"

Beverly quickly checked their vitals again. "…uh, no. Nothing yet. Why? You finding any discrepencies?"

"Yea, you could call it that. The nanite activity has changed completely within the last 10 feet. The area we were just in contained nanites, but they were… well, docile. They're doing pretty much nothing. But these are way different. Their activity is highly erratic."

Judging by the time that they had been wandering 'ground zero', Holiday presumed that the nanites should have wormed their way through the guards' suits. She looked up from her scanners and looked for the nearest man.

"You there!" Dr. Holiday shouted, indicating towards one of the armed men. "Please come here for a moment."

The man looked to Agent Six for approval, and headed over to the doctor. Upon arriving, he gave a quick salute and waited for her further instructions. Holiday simply looked him over, and checked her scanners.

"How are you doing today?" Holiday asked casually.

The guard tilted his head confusedly. "Err, I'm fine…?"

"Good. Did you have a nice weekend?"

"… yea, I spent some time with the kid—whoa."

Holiday looked up quickly and motioned to her sister to come over.

"What's wrong, Sir?" Beverly questioned gently.

"I dunno. I just got a weird taste in my mouth; metallic, like blood or something."

Beverly looked sharply at her sister, who nodded in reply. They both knew that the nanites had gotten through, and that their concentration was so high he could taste them.

"Don't worry about it; that's just a minor side effect from the suits' life support. Thanks, that'll be all," Holiday sent him away. The man quickly returned to his platoon and continued walking. She motioned for Six to come over.

"The nanites have definitely gotten through the bio-suits. If anything's gonna happen, it would be now," she whispered.

Six quietly acknowledged her and slid his fold-up katanas into his hands. And just like clockwork, one of the men began screaming. Another soldier shouted over to Six.

"Sir! It's Johnston! Something—Ughhh…AhhhHHHH!"

The three watched in horror as the soldiers began mutating out of control. Flesh melted off their arms and legs; bones could be heard breaking and reforming. One by one, the bio-suites were being ripped through like tissue paper. Beverly and Dr. Holiday couldn't tear their eyes away long enough to take a reading from any of them.

Six was the first to respond when one of the men stumbled towards them. He jumped and kicked the monster back, unfolding his katanas in the process. The girls grouped together behind him. As the gruesome transformations completed, some of the beasts ran towards them in a blind rage. It was obvious by their incoordination and mindless screaming that they were not in their right minds. A few mutated soldiers remained where they were, stunned or in pain from their alteration. Beverly backed up even further as Dr. Holiday whipped out her own gun and set it to stun.

Holiday glanced towards her protector. "There's about 10 coming at us… Think we can take 'em?"

"I've been in worse."

"Suggestions as to how we go about this?"

"The heat sensor shows that their bodies are overheated from the change, and their movements suggest they are disoriented. It won't be that hard to take them down."

Holiday raised her eyebrow at his comment. "You mean 'take them in'. I want them alive, Six."

"Not happening." Six ran towards the nearest monster and impaled it; not wasting a moment.

"Six! They're still people! We could help them!"

Six slashed at another beast. "Orders are orders. No exceptions."

Holiday was torn. They didn't die from the nanites as predicted, so were their deaths really necessary? She took a shot at a nearby monster, which did nothing but gain its attention. It sprinted towards the girls as Holiday struggled to raise the level of her gun. Beverly let out a terrified scream as the beast jumped into the air, raising its claws to rip through them.

Out of nowhere, Six jumped in front of them and deflected its claws with his katanas. A swift roundhouse kick to the head sent it spiraling away from the group. Six turned to Holiday and leaned in close to her face, his voice low and firm.

"No. Exceptions."

He grabbed the gun out of her hand and set it to its maximum setting. Holiday looked to the ground, and took her gun back. Just then, Six was shoved over by one of the few remaining creatures. Holiday hands were shaking as she raised her gun to counter the 8 ft tall beast now looming over her. However, the beast came crashing down before she had the chance to shoot. Six had tripped it from his position on the ground, and swiftfully maneuvered his katanas to slice off its limbs. In no time, he was back on his feet, charging at the remaining monsters.

Time seemed to slow down for Holidays as she realized how close she had come to killing another human being. Or what was left of one. She was a scientist; she made a vow to better human life! How could she just kill someone…

By the time she snapped out of it, Six was done with the butchering. He calmly walked up to them, wiping blood off his sword. It was as if he had just went for a stroll rather than fight off a hoard of creatures.

"Two ran off before I could get them; one looked like a wolf and the other a reptile. Be on your guard."

His comment was met with silence as the group decided to walk on. They had quite a ways to go before they reached the heart of the explosion. After walking for about an hour, Holiday decided that a more thorough scan of the area was needed, and would require them to stop. With the permission of Six, Beverly walked a few yards away to study the remaining plant life while they stopped for a break, leaving Holiday and Six alone. There tension between the two was stifling. Thoughts of the brief fight clouded Holidays thoughts. If Six hadn't jumped in when he had, she and her sister could have easily been killed.

"I'm sorry…"

"Look, sometimes on the battlefield, it's kill or be killed. Lives are in your hands out here, so always be ready to shoot. If you don't, someone you care for could…"

Holiday gently put her hand on his shoulder."Are you speaking from experience…?"

Six brushed her hand off. "That's none of your business."

A scream from Beverly quickly snapped the two out of their moment, and they bolted towards her position.

"I'm picking up two bodies of heat over there. She's not alone!" Six yelled.

As they got closer, they saw Beverly run a few steps out from the crumbling wall she was behind. She was alright, but motioning frantically.

"Guys! There's a _child_ over here! He's alive!"

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And there's ch.1! I've only seen every ep once, so im kinda fuzzy on details… if you know any answers or spot a mistake, review or sent a pm or something and ill fix it up. I kinda feel like the flow is off at some parts, hopefully i work it out better next ch. Until next time!


	2. Lost and Found

Here we are, chapter 2. Thanks for all the reviews, guys! they really made my day. and pushed me to finish this chapter, haha. ChimeraRaven33 also has a good eye for detail! we'll just have to wait and see how that comes into play later... :)

this one was kinda fun to write. its pretty heavy with action, so read carefully i guess. this one's also unintentionally heavy on Six. he just happened to be where i wanted the action to go, lol. Aaaand my goal for writing from now on is 2,000 words a chapter (give or take), to give you guys a solid amount of story. anyway, enjoy!

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_"Guys! There's a child over here! He's alive!"_

No sooner than the words left Amanda's mouth did another scream erupt behind her. She spun around, only to be sent flying into a wall by a huge metal fist. Six whipped out his katanas and yelled at Holiday to stay back. Of course, being 18, she ignored him completely and ran towards her fallen sister. Six moved to intercept this new threat, hoping to put some space between it and the defiant Dr. Holiday.

Before she reached her sister, Holiday caught a glimpse of a child stumbling out of the building. What she saw made her heart skip a beat. It was a young boy, no older than 10, with machines sprouting out from his body. His hand had mutated into a larger, machine version of itself, and he was covered in metallic lumps. Bits of machines were breaking off him and reforming at a constant rate. Yet, despite this transformation, parts of him remained unaffected. When the guards had mutated, their transformation had been quick and complete. Every inch of their body was affected. But with this kid, it was almost as if he was stuck in the middle, struggling with some unseen force.

The boy took a few shaky steps away from the building, clutching his head with his good hand. Whimpers of pain slipped out of his mouth every few seconds, despite his best effort to stifle them. The kid was shaking badly, and his eyes were wide with fear and confusion. He raised his hands in defense as Six rushed towards him, katanas at the ready.

"…ugh…g-get away!" the boy yelled, his metallic hand immediately changing its shape. Six quickly moved in to detain the child, but was countered by a huge sword now forming from the boys arm. One of his katanas was flung away from parry, and for the second time in his entire life, Six hesitated. His eyes locked with the boys, and there was this quiet moment... which was brought crashing down by a hard blow to Six's side. The agent spiraled backwards, clutching the fresh wound with his free hand. His already diminished focus completely snapped when he heard a faint beeping sound echoing from his own suit. The slice had cut through the its power supply, and his EMP shield was failing fast. He knew what would come next.

Forgetting the battle, he searched for the girls and roared at them to get out of here, but soon realized that his warning fell on deaf ears. The two were kneeling in the dirt, surrounded by their own world of chaos. Amanda was frantically pushing buttons on her suit, and Holiday was losing her cool.

"Nonononononononnono, please, NO!" Holiday shrieked as she desperately tried to rework the wiring in the already shattered suit. Her sister was close to hyperventilation as she jammed the power button over and over. The collision into the wall had completely shattered the suit's defenses, leaving Amanda vulnerable to the highly active nanites saturating the area. The panic lasted between them just a moment longer, when she froze and let her hand fall to her side.

"…Do you remember when the guard said he tasted blood?"

The color drained from Holiday's face, and she went into an all-out panic, practically beating on the components to get them to restart. Amanda gently grabbed her hands and brought them down, looking Holiday in the eyes.

"It's gonna be OK, alright? Look; look at me. Everything is going to be alright." Amanda's voice was calm and steady. She held her sisters hand tightly in her own, and took a deep breath.

"H-h-how c-can you j-just say that! It's not OK! You're the o-only family I have left!" Holiday said through choked sobs.

Six felt his stomach drop. A wave of his own horrible memories came rushing back to him, forcing him down into despair. It was then that he truly began to grasp the futility of the situation. Amanda and he would likely mutate and eventually be destroyed; Holiday would be left unguarded and alone in a barren wasteland; and the kid… Six glanced back at the boy, and found that he, too, was on his knees. But nearly ripping his hair out in concentration. To Six's amazement, the sword and lumps were shrinking steadily.

"It… hurts…help…" the child mumbled, his breathing ragged and unsteady.

Six took a step towards the boy, and suddenly crumpled to the ground. The shield had been down too long, and the nanites had finally gotten to him. Pain shot through his nerves as they pulled and twisted every cell in his body. Flesh melted. Bones cracked. His suit ripped as sharp, bony spikes grew from his fingers and joints. He wasn't sure when he began screaming, only that he couldn't stop until every molecule of air left his lungs . The mere seconds it took to transform his body felt like hours to the agent. Six was on the very brink of blacking out, when his form finally solidified.

The only word that comes to mind when Six tries to describe what it's like is 'instinctive'. With a hint of 'crazy'. His thoughts were disconnected and hazy at best, resulting in actions that were rough and illogical. His body was half unresponsive, and when it did follow an order, it overcompensated for everything. To hold something was to crush it; to speak was to screech. Everything was backwards in his own skin. Impulses ruled his mind.

His large, pupil-less eyes opened and darted around, fervently searching for something to fill the never-ending abyss that was his new stomach. Or stomachs, judging by the immense hunger Six was experiencing. Transforming had used quite a bit of energy, and his body was eager to get it back. All the noise and whispers buzzing around in his head canceled out any other ideas and brought out this simple need. His gaze fell upon two beings of equal size, making quite a racket to his left. A lovely banquet. As he turned to catch his prey, a small motion caught his attention a few feet away. He whipped around, and met face to face with a terrified, young child. The pure fright on his face… on his face…

…_On his face was a smudge of dirt from hiding deep inside the bushes. It had rained the other day, and mud was covering most of their yard. _

"_Did you get him?" the boy whispered quietly, looking around fearfully. _

_His little brother was home when the assassin attacked. Thinking quickly, the boy hid while his brother tracked the guy down. The fight was quick and fierce, but ended in victory. The would-be killer was knocked out. He smiled and put his hand on his brother's head._

"_Yea, I sure did. We'll call the police and—what's wrong?" _

_The boy's eyes widened as he shakily pointed behind his sibling. He whipped around and—_

-A burning shock ran from his hand through his entire body, snapping Six's thought-process in two. All of his muscled were frozen in place as the burning continued and intensified. Blinding white pain filled him once more as his body reshaped itself, twisting cells and reforming bones. This change, although still quite painful, was more welcome than the first. With every moment, breathing became easier. Thinking wasn't so challenging anymore, and his limbs were becoming less stiff. Six closed his eyes and let this gentle feeling wash over him. Quiet whispers flowed around him, lingering in his ear and moving once again. They grew louder and louder until Six could finally make some words out.

'…_process complete.'_

Six snapped open his eyes and found that he was laying face first in the rubble of an old building. He sat up and saw a small, trembling hand holding a pair of black sunglasses out to him. He recognized the glasses as his own and reached for them, when they dropped to the ground. The boy's hands fell limply to his sides, and his stare went blank.

"Error. Error. Complete system overload. Emergency shutdown engaged."

The kid started to fall, but was caught by Six. He immediately laid him down and checked for a pulse and breathing. A moment passed where Six couldn't find any vitals, and a beat of panic ran through him. Six was about to put his CPR training to use, when he finally saw the boy's chest rise and fall. Relaxing, Six took a minute to assess his own condition. Despite just being horribly mutated, he felt pretty good. A few bumps and bruises, but nothing a good night of sleep couldn't cure.

Six looked back at the unconscious kid lying next to him. He was quite young, and had a head full of choppy, dark brown hair. He was wearing only a pair of black, form fitting shorts, and had a chain of some sort around his ankle. It was some kind of ID tag. Six reached down to pull it off, but found that it had no clasp. When he tried to break the chain, it wouldn't bend. Whoever had put it on this kid obviously didn't want it to come off. Six grabbed his nearest katana and carefully slid it between the chain and the kid's ankle, and quickly snapped it in two. Sheathing his weapon, he picked up the anklet. It was some kind of engraved metal, with three capital letters standing out.

'Retro-active nanites. EX. 56'

"Retro…Experiment… R, EX… Rex?" Six mumbled to himself.

Six sighed and pocketed the tag in his torn-up pants. The ID wasn't really useful, as it didn't offer a straight forward name or address, but he felt he should keep it nonetheless. Rex was a good enough name for now. If this kid was really an experiment and somehow related with nanites, Dr. Holiday-

Oh. Crap.

Six bolted to his feet and scanned for the girls, activating his glasses in the process. They picked up two heat signatures to his left; one was of human shape, and the other… wasn't. Six sprinted towards them, scooping up his other dropped katana in the process. When he reached their position, he raised his sword to fight, but found the beast already unconscious. It was massive, taking a form akin to that of an over-sized arachnid. The thing, presumably Amanda, was wounded and unconscious, but luckily alive. Six looked for Holiday, and found her sitting against a wall, smoking gun in her hand. Her expression was vacant, and her breathing slow. Six tried to talk to her, but received no response. He recognized her symptoms as those of shock, and gently coaxed her into standing.

Six knew that they couldn't stay here. Should there be other survivors with abnormal abilities, he might not be able to ward them off. And if Amanda were to awaken, that would be another mess entirely. So, he pocketed their hand-held scanners, and went back for 'Rex'. Gently throwing him over his left shoulder, he walked back to holiday and put his right arm around her shoulders. Slowly, he began to guide them out of ground zero.

About an hour out, Six was able to reestablish radio contact with Providence. After arguing with the chief of transportation and giving many, many threats, he finally got them to send two airships. One to pick the three up, and another with properly equipped men to retrieve Amanda. Six buckled Holiday in and strapped Rex into a stretcher on board. Sitting down, he allowed himself a few moments to relax. The silence of the ship was quickly replaced by the revving of the engines as they took off. Holiday quietly mumbled something and put her head into her hands. Six turned to face her.

"How are you feeling, Dr. Holiday?"

Holiday looked into Six's eyes, tears streaming down her face. "I shot my own sister."

She grabbed the remaining shreds of Six's sleeve and clung to him. Six could feel her shaking. He reached for the first-aid kit with his free hand and took out a mild sedative.

"Here, this will help you relax. There's going to be a lot to do tomorrow, we're going to need you at your best." He said, injecting her arm.

Slowly but surely, her grip loosened and the shaking stopped. Within five minutes, she had completely fallen asleep. Six watched Holiday for a few more minutes, then let his gaze fall on their new companion.

"Semper fi…" he mumbled, before succumbing to sleep himself.

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hey, does anyone remember what experiment number rex was? i kinda just made up 56. Dr. rylander mentioned it in passing in the ep "Dark Passage", but i couldn't dig up a clip with the info. Also, i kinda felt like plot flow was off or fast in this chapter. my guess is cause it was just so action-y. send me your opinions/constructive criticism in a review! :)


	3. Choices

BOOM. Update! School has been killer lately, and im surprised I got this done in time for Thanksgiving. This chap isn't as action-y, but it really has some good moments. Lotta stressed out Holiday here. And Rex… well, read and find out. And please excuse the grammatical errors, ect. I don't have a beta reader, I update too randomly for that lol. And HUGE THANKS to all the reviews this got! They seriously pushed me to wrap this chapter up! And I do read all of them! I may not always review (still too busy w school), but I take them all to heart. I really had fun with this one, hope you all enjoy it!

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At 6 AM sharp, the alarm clock in room 314 sprang to life and mercilessly assaulted the ears of the young Dr. Holiday. Her hand reached out from under the covers and blindly tapped the nightstand. After a few seconds, the proper button was hit and silence permeated the room once again. Holiday had almost drifted back to sleep again, when her eyes snapped open and she sat straight up. The covers went flying as she scrambled for a matching pair of shoes and her favorite lab coat. She hastily threw on her shirt, skirt, and coat combo, and dug in her pockets for her lab security card. Once she had it in hand, Holiday practically ran out the door.

Her heels clicked loudly on the tile as she sped down the quiet hallways. At this time in the morning, there were at least a few agents running around the base. The fact that no one was around meant that something major was up, which only made Holiday run faster. She pulled a few fingers through her hair, and combed it back into her trademark bun with a spare hair tie. Surely by now the docile nanites had spread across the planet, making the need to understand the nanites all the greater. Holiday nearly tripped as she skidded to a halt in front of the air tight, reinforced steel doors. She slid her card through the scanner, receiving a small beep of approval. An eye scanner appeared from behind a panel next to the door, which she impatiently looked into, and waited. Once again, she was approved.

"Foxtrot"

Password accepted. Welcome back, Doctor Holiday," the female computer voice responded.

That last security detail was recently installed in response to the growing threats against Providence. In addition to the numerous business companies craving to steal and market Providence tech, there were also some minor yet violent groups of protesters who were against using nanites in humans. Go figure. The security device was quite clever, really. If not prompted for a password, what thief would try to put one in?

Holiday was greeted with the sight of a shirtless, bandaged-up Six reporting to the head of Providence, White Knight, through video phone. Doctors were flying in and out of their conversation, some giving updates, others taking samples from Six.

"-been traumatized, White. She'll need time to recover. I recommend 3 days, sir." Six stated. His back was to her, and he hardly noticed the door open with all the commotion. White shifted his gaze from the agent to Holiday, abruptly ending their conversation.

"Ah, Doctor Holiday. Just the person I needed to see. You are to begin decoding those new nanites immediately. Crack them wide open; their design, programming- everything. I want a full report in four hours."

"And Six," White said sharply, returning to the agent. "We don't have time for such luxuries. Holiday looks fine to me. She'll continue to work until I deem her unfit."

Holiday threw Six a nasty look, which was completely ignored by the bodyguard. She quickly moved to her workbench to gather the necessary tools as Six grabbed a clean white shirt.

"Four hours? I'll be done in two. And where's my sister? I'll need to grab some samples to get started."

White gave her a strange look and waited a moment to let her finish collecting her gear.

"Your subject isn't your sister, Holiday. It's the boy recovered from ground zero. Beverly is currently under heavy sedation in an experiment holding cell."

Holiday froze mid-step, nearly dropping everything in hand. Why on Earth wouldn't they make her the prime subject to study? With a bit of research and hard work she could be back to normal! Why focus on some… some kid who got _lucky_? Holiday could hardly get her voice to work as she looked at White.

"…what? But, but _Sir_—!"

"I understand your concern, but we must keep out priorities straight, doctor. You will not be allowed to see your sister until those nanites are fully understood and under our control. That is all." With a small click, the video call ended, and Holiday was left picking up her materials. Six finished buttoning his white shirt and helped Holiday gather up her scanners.

"You'll finish with the boy in no time. Beverly's doing fine—"

"Thank you, Agent Six. Your services are no longer required here." Holiday interrupted.

Six showed no sign of leaving. Holiday sighed, letting a beat of silence fall between the two. She decided to change the subject.

"…Why are you still wearing those sunglasses?"

Six seems mildly surprised that she had noticed, and took time to readjust them.

"I didn't get the option of sleeping when we returned to base yesterday. They just make the light easier on my eyes."

Holiday mumbled a small _oh_, and stood with all her equipment. As she started to walk away, Six reached an arm out and placed his hand on her shoulder. She half turned towards him, already getting lost in her own thoughts.

"Holiday, a recap of events is necessary before you start working with Rex. A lot happened that you aren't aware of."

She paused and mentally chewed on his words. "… Rex? Is that what we're calling it? And I'm sure there's much to discuss, but there just isn't time to sit and talk. I need to power through this so I can get to Beverly."

Six squeezed her shoulder a bit. "'Him', Holiday, not 'it'."

"Right. Please, excuse me, Six" Holiday pulled out of his reach and began dragging herself towards the examination area. It wasn't hard to locate the boy; he was the center of a sea of scientists, all scrambling to take different tests and readings. Six followed the headstrong scientist, his own trail of doctors following him. It was imperative that she know what Rex did back at ground zero.

Holiday caught chunks of sentences being thrown around the room as she activated her equipment. "… removed the excess nanites… unbelievable amount…", "…nanites are possibly infective… maintain an EMP…", "...identical programming in their host...".

Rex was floating in one of the new scanner pods, unconscious and unaware of the surrounding commotion. He had wires and tubes of all kinds plugged into him, topped off by a breathing mask covering most of his face.

Every now and then an arm would twitch or a leg move, but nothing to suggest that the boy was having a particularly horrifying nightmare. That is, until he woke up.

Without warning, every piece of electrical equipment within 10 feet of Rex shorted out. Shouts pierced the lab's hushed atmosphere as sparks flew from their equipment. Machines shattered as they collided with the cold tile floor, completely forgotten by the researchers as they tried to contain the situation. Everyone was frantically dashing around the room, some shouting out orders and others caring for minor burns. It was instant chaos. But in the commotion, no one noticed the boy eyes had opened.

The vital machines of the project were almost instantaneously replaced with their back-ups. No sooner were they reactivated did they erupt into loud beeps, halting all movement in the room. Everything remained at a standstill until someone shouted out its cause.

"V…Vitals are off the charts!" Everyone on the floor jumped into action, a new crisis on their hands. Scientists and doctors shouted across the room.

"Temperature 99.1*F and rising!"

"Pulse 110, respirations 32 and irregular!"

"We've got to calm him down!"

"Blood pressure 135/90!"

"What are you waiting for? Give him the A140 injection stat!" Doctor Holiday barked, quickly stepping in.

By the time the fumbling scientists had the medicine connected to the IV, Rex had already pulled the tubes and wires from his small body. His hands were pressed against the glass, desperately trying to escape the claustrophobically-small space. No matter how much oxygen he sucked down, he just couldn't catch his breath. The desperate need to breathe raced through his mind, blocking out all other sounds or thoughts. The world started spinning… he couldn't go back… no…

Rex ripped off his oxygen mask.

Pushing past her overwhelmed colleagues, Holiday slammed her hand on the emergency release button. After a few moments, she nearly punched a hole through the computer. Someone had screwed with her computer system. Again. Damn interns. Every moment they had to override the system was a moment the boy had without air. And if he died… they could lose the only bit of useful information they had over these nanites.

Holiday grabbed the nearest person. "What did you do to the computer?"

"There's a code! A-a password!"

"What?"

"For safe—"

"NO! What is it?"

"Ask John he's in charge!"

"JOHN!"

"IT'S 1, 3, 5, 6, wait no…! 1, 5, 3…"

The last bit of air bubbled out of Rex's mouth.

A flash of silver darted through the crowd, straight towards the scanner pod. Dual swords slashed an 'X' into the thick glass, and a well-placed roundhouse kick broke it to pieces. Six's katanas clattered against the floor as he rushed to catch the kid. Flooding water sent most of the personnel jumping on top of tables, and a few ran for the quarantine suits. Rex coughed up a bit of water on Six's now soaked white shirt as Six checked the kid for any bits of glass.

"What on Earth are you doing! That boy has actively mutating nanites! You've infected us all!" A panicked researcher yelled out.

Six took a moment and looked down at the gasping, huddling mass clinging to his wet shirt. A pair of dark brown eyes peered up at him. Unaltered, unmutated, human eyes.

"He looks fine to me. And so do the rest of you. Whatever the nanites were doing in ground zero they aren't doing here."

The researchers glanced nervously around the room, and stepped off of the tables and into the puddles. Holiday stepped forward and began reorganizing the research effort.

"Good lord, people. I'm out of the lab for a few hours and everything goes to hell in a hand basket. Get the tech boys up here, I want all computers rebooted and reprogrammed to _my_ original settings. Mary, Kevin, Jason, replace the broken scanners. Lance, clean up the glass and water. Brandon, Laura, get the spare scanner set up and running. Everyone else get busy. I want this done within the next 10 minutes, tops." Holiday shouted as numerous researchers rushed to get started.

Holiday pushed through the crowd to the supply closet, grabbing out a fresh towel and a first aid kit. As she walked towards the dripping wet duo, her temporary replacement, John, crossed her path. With a free hand, Holiday grabbed the back of his lab coat and whipped him around to face her.

"John, there aren't words in existence to describe how… how _enraged_ I am right now! Do you have _any_ idea what could have happened as a result of your carelessness?" She took a deep breath and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I don't _ever_ want to see you in this lab again." She walked away, leaving her colleague at a loss for words.

"Doctor, I'm sorry. I didn't… It was…" John fumbled for words. Holiday stopped, sighed, and turned around.

"John… I'm not firing you over this. It was just an accident. However, I'm going to request to transfer you to another department. In fact, I think you'll do well in sector 7. Talk with White about it after you take a good, long break."

Holiday placed a hand on his shoulder. "No lasting harm was done. It'll be okay." She continued her trek through the crowd, ignoring the small 'thank you' that followed shortly after.

Upon reaching the duo, Holiday guided Six and the shivering boy over to an examination table and set down the towel and first aid kit.

"You certainly make a show of things, huh? Dry off and relax, I'll fix things up here." she chuckled.

"Just doing my job." Six glanced over at the table and shifted the weight in his arms. "You're short a towel."

Holiday gave him a strange look and took out some gauze from the kit. "No, that towel's for you. The boy has to go back in the scanner pod."

The grip Rex had on his shirt tightened at Holiday's words. A deafening silence surrounded the three. Six was the first to break it.

"_No_."

* * *

This is just a bad moment in holiday's life. And it may or may not get worse in the next chap. I also promise Rex will have speaking lines in the next one. And Six… shall be Six! Feel free to point out any errors. It makes me a better writer. Thanks for reading! Reviews welcome!


	4. Stranger Danger

An update! Holy. crap. Anyway, I'll let you get right to it. wrote this one in 3 days, as opposed to the 1-2 weeks it usually takes. having free time rocks. This chapter is just over 2k, and has Rex doing lots of stuff.

THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS! I've read every single one, and I am so unbelievably grateful that you all would take the time to leave me a comment! They really motivated me to keep this story going. :) I try to respond to most of them, especially those with questions. ALSO! thank you to the person who left a link to mastertoons! Ive been able to keep up with the series thanks to that site! Ive was able to go back and see what experiment number rex was, and rylander says he was "the first". Ill eventually edit the previous chappie with that.

Enjoy!

* * *

"_No."_

The agent gently set the boy down on the table and turned towards Holiday, removing his now-soaked shirt.

Now, for an 11 year old boy, Rex was very perceptive. He may not have understood the politics and whatnot that floated around Providence's labs, but he could tell when things were going downhill. And boy, were they at rock bottom right now.

Rex wrapped his arms around himself in a futile effort to warm up. The boy was glad for his distance from the chaos; there was just too much to process at the moment. Instead, he averted his attention to the people in front of him. He silently observed the two adults death-glaring at each other a foot away. Even though the two hadn't said a word since the cool guy had said 'no', Rex could practically hear the silent argument raging between them.

People in white coats kept running up to the pair, asking questions and tugging at their sleeves, but they were only met with silence. Rex shrank back on the table; trying to melt into the metallic surface. He knew this noiseless battle was about him, and he didn't want to get involved.

A shiver ran down the boy's spine. He was still dripping wet from being in that oversized fish tank, and that pretty lady hadn't given him a towel…

Rex glanced around the lab. Sifting through all the commotion, he found what he was looking for. The two had finally started exchanging words again, using some unhappy tones. Once he was sure they were completely distracted by each other, Rex slipped off the table and snuck over to his destination: the supply closet. The room was in so much chaos that no one even noticed the small boy walking across the room. He reached through the open door and pulled out a spare white coat. He quickly threw it on; embracing the warmth and security it offered. The sleeves draped over his hands, and its' length covered down to his ankles. Though he would never admit it, Rex was a little embarrassed to be running around in just a pair of tight shorts.

Once his shivering stopped, Rex could think a little more clearly. He ran a hand through his dripping hair and glanced around at the people rushing by. He looked from face to face; a small bubble of panic rising in his stomach.

He didn't recognize anyone.

The blood started to drain from his face when he realized there was a huge chunk of his memory missing. And by huge, he meant just about everything. Except his name, oddly, enough. And not even the whole thing at that.

The room didn't look familiar. Every sound that assaulted his ears was foreign. Nothing smelled like it should have. Even the cotton of the coat didn't feel right. It was wrong; everything was just _wrong_.

He felt his small sense of security slipping away. He suddenly wanted to throw the damp and unfamiliar lab coat to the ground and go back to… to… whatever was before this. Rex took a few tiny steps backwards in a feeble attempt to disconnect himself from this alien world. He gasped and whipped around when he bumped into a solid figure behind him. It was the cool glasses-guy. The pretty lady trailed behind him, filling a needle with some oddly colored liquid and looking mildly upset.

The cool guy was saying something to him, but he couldn't hear it; Rex was too concerned by the needle in the lady's hand. Every brain cell in his head was screaming that it was for him, yet he couldn't quite get his legs to work. She finished flicking out the tiny bubbles and looked at Rex. The sudden attention of the two only made things worse; causing Rex to feel cornered and anxious.

The glasses guy moved to put his hand on Rex's shoulder, but the boy wouldn't have any of that. Rex reached out for anything near him, and found a wheelie chair. He threw it in front of the pair and took off running through the lab, frantically searching for the exit. A moment later he heard shouts erupting behind him, and suddenly every pair of eyes in the room was focused on him. Rex came upon a large metal door and began frantically pounding on it to open. He could hear the clatter of footsteps rapidly approaching behind him, and pushed against it with his palms, eyes squeezed shut in fear.

"P-please… OPEN!"

Rex tumbled through the entryway, mouth agape. He was shocked that the door had suddenly just worked! And judging by everyone else's expressions, so were they. The boy scrambled to his feet and took off running down one of the many halls. The tiles were slick and cold under his bare feet, and the rushing air only served to make him shiver again. Not a moment later, ear-splitting alarms rang through the halls, only increasing the panic and adrenaline pumping through Rex's veins.

Every door down the hallway automatically slid shut and locked as Rex ran by. He dodged down as many halls as he could; trying to throw the pursuers off his tail. He slipped through a few groups of guards, who immediately gave chase, causing him to lose whatever lead he had on the scientists.

Every hallway looked the same, and after a few solid minutes of running, Rex knew he couldn't keep it up. It felt like he hadn't run in ages; the first few moments had felt wonderful, but the fatigue was killing him now. He choked out a panicked cry as he realized he wasn't going to make it out of there.

Just as he rounded a corner, he slammed into another person and tumbled to the ground. Gasping to catch his breath, he looked up and saw the cool-glasses guy. How did he catch up so fast? They stared at each other a moment, unsure of how the other would react. The guards rounded the same corner a moment later, various stun devices in hand and aimed at the fleeing child. Rex stumbled behind the shirtless agent and hid behind his legs, desperately clinging to the damp green cloth.

"Stand down! That's an order!" The shirtless agent barked.

The guards obeyed and lowered their weapons, awkwardly standing in the crowded hallway. Rex jumped as he felt a hand touch his head.

"It's alright."

Rex looked up at his protector, still tightly clinging to the side of the agent's leg.

"As long as you're with me, no one can touch you."

It took ages, but Rex finally loosened his death-grip on the green cloth. His breathing steadied and he remained behind the agent, shyly peeking out at the gathering crowd.

Holiday observed the boy from afar. She sighed, and pulled some loose locks of hair behind her ear. The look in his eyes…

Holiday pocketed the syringe in her lab coat and squeezed through the crowd. As she approached the duo, Six frowned and pushed Rex behind him a bit more.

"I won't let you take him, Holiday. He doesn't belong in a tank." Six warned her.

"I know."

"…What?" the agent questioned.

Holiday turned towards the crowd. "I concur with your decision, Agent Six. 'Rex' is a human being, and should be treated as one. Any lab personnel who acts or speaks otherwise will be immediately relieved of duty. Am I clear?" she shouted to the crowd. A few voices muttered in agreement, complying with the sudden change in orders.

Holiday turned to the agent, a small smirk on her face. "I assume the same can be said for your soldiers?"

"No." Holiday looked at the man, confusion written on her face. "Any Providence agent under my command will be _impaled_. Clear?"

A chorus of 'yes sir' erupted from the crowd. "Then move out. I expect you all prepared for training in 15 minutes." The group quickly dispersed, leaving the three alone in the hallway. When the silence finally returned, Six turned to face the scientist.

"Why the sudden change, Holiday?" the agent questioned.

"I could ask you the same thing, Six. You had no problem 'doing your job' out at ground zero, why the sudden interest in a kid?"

Six raised an eyebrow in annoyance. "Don't avoid my question."

The scientist looked away for a moment, biting her lip. "…No matter how desperate I am to get to my sister, I can't let a child suffer for it. Rex has to come first. Beverly would want that…"

Six nodded. This was going to be a long day. "At least we're on the same page now."

"Same page? Not even close. We need to have a serious talk about—"

"Hey lady, how do you know my name?" The two jumped, shocked that the boy had talked. He had been so quiet since they found him that they had just assumed that he wouldn't speak.

Holiday looked at him quizzically. "Rex is your name? Your real name?" He grinned at her sheepishly. "Yep, I think so…"

Holiday looked quizzically at Six. "...How did you know?" The agent returned her gaze with a look of surprise. "I didn't. Lucky guess." He glanced behind his shoulder, and reached in his pocket, producing the chain in the palm of his hand. "Like I said, we need to talk." There was an awkward silence between the three of them as they tried to figure out where to go from there.

"Well," Holiday started, sinking down to her knees so as to speak with Rex at eye level. "Do you know your last name, too? Or where you're from? How about your parent's names?" Rex suddenly become extremely interested in the tiles on the floor, staring at them intently and running a toe along the cracks.

"Rex?" Holiday prompted. An indistinguishable mumble was the boy's reply. Holiday leaned in a bit closer to try and get a better look at his face. "What did you sa—"

"I DUNNO, OKAY? I can't… I can't remember anything."

Holiday backed off a little, and decided to change the topic. If wasn't worth upsetting the boy. She could bother him for information another time.

"Hey, hey, that's alright! How about we get you out of that wet coat, huh? I sure we have some fresh clothes around here somewhere." She said with a sweet smile. Rex blushed a bit at his current clothes situation.

"O-okay. Thanks." Holiday held her hand out for Rex to take, and he looked at it hesitantly. He then reached for Six's empty hand and grabbed two of his fingers.

"But only if he comes, too!" Rex demanded. Six was stunned for a moment, not sure how to react to hand-holding. He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, and grasped Rex's small fingers. Holiday was stunned by the agents reaction; she had never seen him really respond to human contact before.

Holiday smiled at the two. "Absolutely. As long as it's okay with him, of course." Rex eagerly looked up at the agent, waiting for an answer. Six paused, and gave a small nod. Rex gave him a toothy grin in response.

"It's settled, then!" Holiday stood back up and straightened out her skirt. "Oh! My name is Dr. Holiday, Rex. And his name is agent Six. Let's go get you those clothes now, okay?" Rex smiled at the couple and took a few steps forward…

And collapsed to his knees.

* * *

DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN! cliffie! Until next time!


	5. Russian Roulette

_"He smiled at the couple and took a few steps forward…and collapsed to his knees."_

Rex's palms collided with the floor as he tried to break the fall. His legs felt as if they'd turned to Jell-O, and his arms were shaking as much. Closing his eyes, he took a few deep breaths and tried to steady himself. Holiday swiftly knelt down, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Rex? Rex, what's wrong?" He shook his head wordlessly in response. Holiday looked up at Six; her doctoral instincts taking over.

"We need to get him to the infirmary."

The agent bent down to their level. "You saw how he reacted in the lab; I don't think he'll do much better around medical equipment."

Holiday chewed on her lip, contemplating their options as Six scooped the boy up into his arms. Rex relaxed a bit in the strong embrace, grateful that his limbs no longer had to fight gravity. It's then that Six noticed Rex's physical state. At first glance, he seemed to be a fit young boy who had yet to grow into his lanky arms and legs. But upon closer inspection, he realized how truly small and lightweight the boy was. Rex didn't appear to be starved; his ribs weren't showing and his hair wasn't brittle. Yet he had so little muscle tone in his body, the man was shocked he could have sprinted all this way.

"Well, it's not like there are many kid-friendly places here on base… How about we take him to the empty quarters in the south wing? There are at least beds there, and I can bring in only what's needed," Holiday suggested.

Six started walking. "For now, my room's closer. Come on."

The three shuffled down the hall in an awkward silence. Holiday kept checking over Rex, Rex would fidget and blush, and Six simply continued onward. After a short walk, the agent finally stopped in front of one of the numerous identical doors and quickly punched in a code. The entrance swooshed open, revealing a meticulously clean room that smelled of pine trees. Six walked in and gently placed Rex on the bed, wrinkling the crisp covers. Given the pristine state of these new surroundings, Holiday almost felt the need to ask permission before walking on the carpet.

The Agent's voice shook Holiday from her thoughts. "What are you waiting for?" Six inquired. She blushed and quickly entered the room; automatic door swishing closed behind her.

"I'm feelin a lil better now." Rex muttered.

"Good, you look much better, too." Holiday cheerfully said, trying to keep Rex positive and relaxed.

The shaking had subsided, and breathing was easier. He slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position, and shifted to allow his feet to dangle off the side. Holiday whipped out a pocket scanner and began running a few simple tests; letting the back of her hand find its way to Rex's forehead. He nudged it to the side as his eyes followed Six across the room and into another door. A moment passed where he didn't return, and were it not for Holiday holding him still as she checked his pulse, Rex would have jumped off the bed after him.

Six came back, wearing a fresh suit and carrying a small stack of fabric. Placing the bundle on the bed, he pulled out a fluffy towel from the bunch and got to work drying the boy off properly. Rex removed the damp lab coat and thankfully took the towel, throwing it over his shoulders like a cloak. Six pulled out a second towel and flung it over Rex's head, ruffling up his slicked, dripping hair. After a moment of fluffing, his ebony locks were spiked up and dry. The agent then got to work unfolding the spare clothes in the pile as Holiday pocketed her scanner.

"He seems to be alright…" Holiday got down to Rex's level. "Are you hangin' in there?"

Rex smiled, glad to be dry and warm. "Yep!"

"Judging by his muscle tone and size—" Six muttered.

"—And the events leading up to now—" Holiday added.

"Possibly an adrenaline rush?" The agent questioned.

"You read my mind. I think he'll be fine after a little rest. However, I would really like to run a few more tests to be sure…"

Six had seen this countless times before. A soldier's first time in battle usually left them completely drained; limbs shaking and all. The quick burst of adrenaline does its job when fighting or fleeing, but leaves them with quite the head rush afterwards. And these were trained, fully grown adults. Six imagined it must have been twice as rough for a young, scrawny boy.

Once Rex was thoroughly dry, Six grabbed a white button up collared shirt from the pile and threw it over his head. A moment later, a mop of messy black hair poked its way through the opening, and small fingers found their way out the ends of the sleeves. The agent helped roll the extra length up to his elbows, and unfolded a pair a forest green suit pants. Carefully, Six took Rex's hands and helped him stand, watching for any signs of dizziness. Eventually, Six let go; ever observant. He handed the pants to Rex, who quickly threw them on over his black shorts, only to realize that they were ridiculously too long. After rolling those up as well, Six tossed him a pair of socks, and headed back into the closet for a much-needed belt. Once they were finished, Rex looked nearly presentable. Most everything was rolled up, and he had no shoes, but at least his shirt tails were tucked in; an astounding feat for any boy his age.

Just as they'd finished, an enormous grumble echoed off the walls in the room. Holiday and Six looked at each other, then at Rex, who smiled sheepishly and rubbed his tummy.

Holiday hid a smile behind her free hand. Keeping a straight face, Six looked down at the lad. "Are you hungry?" he asked. Rex giggled, flashing a toothy grin. "Depends… What's for breakfast?"

Suddenly, Holiday's communications device exploded into noise. She quickly dug the cellphone-like object out of her pocket; eyes scanning through the message. The smile fell off her face, and her brow wrinkled in coccentration. After scanning through the info another two times, she pocketed the device, only to hear it go off again. Ignoring it, she looked at the boys, a serious expression covering her face. She was torn between two decisions.

"Six… there have been some developments-"

He placed a hand on Holiday's shoulder, meeting her conflicted gaze. "Go. I'll keep an eye on Rex."

Holiday pursed her lips at the thought. Leaving a young child alone with a ruthless assassin did not sound like the responsible choice she was looking for. Hours ago he had no problem leading innocent troops to their death; even killing some himself. She had no idea what he was truly like off the battleground.

"I don't want to burden you; I can find someone else. I know how busy you are with the soldiers…"

"It's not a problem, Holiday. The men can easily do their job in my absence." Six paused momentarily. "But that's not why you're hesitating, is it?" Holiday looked from Rex to Six, eyebrow raised.

"You don't think I can care for a child."

"No! It's just... Well, it might be better if someone with more experience…" Holiday weakly suggested.

"I do. Younger brother." Silence. "Besides, I think Rex has already made up his mind." She looked down and saw Rex tugging on Six's sleeve, eager to get going. Holiday let out a sigh and put her hands in her pockets.

She nodded. "Okay. Reports every hour. Keep him safe."

"No problem."

"Let's go!" Rex pulled on his arm, stomach still protesting. The three walked out of the quiet room; Six leading Rex down one of the identical hallways. Holiday turned the opposite way, heading towards her lab. She mulled over their current situation, and wondered if they were making the right decisions in this critical time. 'White's going to freak once he finds out our test subject is running around Providence...' She thought sullenly.

"See ya later, Doc!" Holiday turned around and saw Rex waving goodbye, a bright smile on his face. Mildly surprised, she waved back, and watched him walk away with Six. Certainly keeping a lively young boy locked up in a lab was the wrong decision here... Right?

010101010101010101010101

Holiday entered the lab, happy to see that the chaos from before had finally dispersed. Within moments of her arrival, a few team leaders surrounded her, eager to relay their information. Grabbing a data pad and a wireless earwig device, she moved with the crowd towards the large screen at the head of the room. One at a time, the leaders went through their critical issues.

The first problem Holiday was assaulted with was the spreading of the nanites. According to the results from their scanners and satellites, they had covered most of the globe whilst Holiday was unconscious. The bad news: they continued to multiply, so long as materials were available. The good news: the chaotic nanites they had observed at ground zero were remaining at ground zero. The nanites that were currently working their way through the ever-weakening electro-magnetic shield surrounding Providence appeared to be the docile type as well.

It was the better end of a bad situation. Holiday clicked her earwig on. "Holiday to Engineering, do you copy?"

A moment later, response came through. "Aye, mam, this is Tom in engineering. How might I oblige you on this _fine_ day?" he responded sarcastically. Holiday ignored his tone.

"How long until the electro-magnetic shield around HQ goes out?" she questioned.

"It's a miracle the thing's lasted this long, with how much power it's been sucking up. The engine's nearly burnt out as is. I'd give it another 5, tops," the man replied.

"Hours?"

"_Minutes_." Holiday grimaced.

"Thanks Tom, I'll get back to you within 4 and a half then. Just keep it running smoothly, and be ready to divert the field to a select area of the base. Stand by for coordinates."

"Sure. Over an' out."

Holiday clicked over channels on her device and prepared to give White a call. Meanwhile, she pulled up a diagram of the spreading nanites, looking for patterns in the global distribution. She also started up a timer on screen. Hands-free calling was a gift in times like these.

"White here, what's the situation Doctor Holiday?"

"The shield around HQ is going to fall in 4 minutes and 48 seconds unless we minimize its containment field. When that happens, everyone in this building will be infected within 15 minutes, tops."

"Well boost power to the shield, then. I'm not letting any of my people falling victim to this catastrophe." White ordered. Holiday carefully observed the world map, coming to the conclusion that the nanites' main route of transportation was through the air currents. She took a sip from a cup black coffee that was handed to her.

"We've already diverted as much power as possible. Anymore and the computers will shut down, leaving us completely blind." Holiday pulled up a map of Providence, double checking the coordinates. Motioning to a lab assistant, she quietly instructed him to send them to Tom.

White grumbled. "What do you suggest then, doctor?"

"The large majority of nanites that are currently spreading have been confirmed to be docile in their functions and nonlethal to the infected. Presently there's no evidence to suggest otherwise. Now, the potentially deadly nanites observed at ground zero are not moving, and are presently remaining within a 25 mile radius zone, so-"

"Get to the point, doctor."

"We should be okay."

"_Should_?"

"Like I said, the majority are docile. There's less than 1% that cannot be confirmed."

"And if you're wrong?" White objected.

"I'm getting there. I propose we keep at least one subject completely nanite free. That way, if we all die or horribly mutate, there will be at least one person who may be able to find a solution. And I've got a great candidate in mind…"

White sighed and put a hand over his face. "Do I even have to guess?"

"Well, you are already in isolation, and have access to the computers and technology. I'm just waiting for your OK on this. You've got about 10 seconds to decide."

"Fine. Make it so," White muttered. He hated to be forced into a single option.

"Did it 2 minutes ago. You won't feel a thing. And hopefully, neither will any of us. An announcement or something should probably be made... Anyway, I'll contact you again in 20 minutes. If you don't hear from me by then, assume the worst. Over and out."

Holiday took another sip of her coffee and found herself a spare wheelie chair. She knew they would be all right; the odds of them being unaffected were ridiculously high. But she still felt like she was playing Russian Roulette with everyone's lives. Holiday sighed and tried to relax, but to no avail.

She ordered the team leaders to continue to try to break the code on the docile and active nanites, hoping that something useful might pop up. In the meantime, there was something nagging in the back of her mind.

Everybody talked about their family when there was down time at Providence; it's just what people did. There was always a plethora of photos covering every desk and locker. Heck, she could easily name the relatives of all the personnel in her lab, including the guards. She had been around Six every day for the past 2 months, and just assumed that he had no family. So, why was she just now learning that he had a younger brother?

Whenever Holiday had an itch to investigate something, she couldn't ignore it. She wheeled over to an unused laptop and placed it over her crossed legs. Subtly glancing around her to make sure no one was watching, she logged into the mainframe and pulled up the classified personnel files. Having the 'high priority' status of a Doctor in this facility had its perks; as long as she was caring for a patient, no file was out of her reach. And technically he was a patient…

And with the extremely small possibility of dying within 13 minutes, she decided it was worth satisfying her curiosity before anything drastic happened. Scrolling through the lengthy list, she finally came across the name she was looking for. As she clicked on the file, a small wave of guilt rolled over her.

Before it had completely loaded, she slammed the lid shut. No. She trusted him. If she wanted to know so badly, all she had to do was ask.

Just then, the overhead speakers blared to life, overpowering the chatter of the scientists. White's voice echoed off the walls "Attention all Providence personnel: there has been a recent development…" Holiday let his voice drone into the background. Pulling up Rex's nanite samples on the main screen, she got to work trying to untangle its complex programming.

She glanced at the clock. 5 minutes had passed since the shield had gone down. Suppressing the strong urge to just sit there and watch the countdown, she grabbed a sticky note and placed it on the screen, obscuring the clock from view. Focus was paramount right now.

01010101010101010101

The cafeteria was a large and tidy area, consisting or row upon row of tables and seats. At the head of the room was a buffet-style set up, with a chef idly stiffing a pot of soup. Upon entering, Rex noticed how quiet and empty it was for a cafeteria of its magnitude.

"So if this is a cafeteria, where is everybody?" Rex asked quietly, afraid to disrupt the silence.

"We missed the breakfast rush. All the workers have already left."

The two approached the empty line. "Hello there, Agent Six. How are ya this morning?" the heavy set chef asked.

"I've been better."

"Sorry to hear that. But it's understandable with what's been going on today." The man continued stirring nonchalantly. "I'm sorry to say you just missed breakfast. We're already settin up for lunch and what not. Taco Tuesday today."

"That's all right Dan, anything will do."

Finally noticing Rex, the chef leaned over the counter. "Why hello there little guy! Who's your friend, Six?"

"I'm Rex!" he chimed in, grinning at the larger gentlemen.

"Well of course you are! Have you been around here before, lad?" Rex shook his head no and grabbed a tray, following Six down the line.

"Well then welcome to Providence, my boy! I hope you have a taste for tacos." He said, placing two tacos on a plate and handing it to Rex, who eagerly accepted the meal.

"Hold on for a moment, I'll be right back." Dan disappeared behind a pair of double doors. While he was gone, Six and Rex continued down the line, picking out a drink and a side dish. When the chef returned, he had two small bowls of chocolate ice cream in his hands, placing one on each of their trays.

Six tried to return his dish. "I'm not a big sweets person, Dan"

"Nonsense! I've got to put some weight on that scrawny frame; for the both of ya!" He ushered them out of the line and waved them a goodbye as he headed back into the kitchen.

"Awesome, thanks!" Rex shouted after him, picking up a spoon and digging into the ice cream before even reaching the table.

Just as they sat down, the overhead speakers blared to life, causing Rex to nearly choke on a spoonful of ice cream. "Attention all Providence personnel: there has been a recent development…" The two sat quietly, listening to the announcement about the shield, most of which went right over Rex's head. The grim tone in the announcer's voice, however, caught his attention.

"Um, Six?" The agent looked down at Rex. "Are we gonna be ok?"

Without hesitation, he replied. "Of course." Rex pondered for a moment, and then happily returned to the tacos on his plate.

Underneath the table, Six fidgeted with the hem of his coat, fully aware of what these 'nanites' were capable of.

* * *

Whew, update! sorry for the long wait. and thank you so much for all the reviews! They motivated me to make this chapter extra long :)  
Thanks for reading!


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